Machine for cooking, dehydrating, and/or cooling foodstuffs



April 24, 1945. H K. DE WEERTH 2,374,583?

MACHINE FOR COKING, DEHYDRATING AND/OR COOLING FOODSTUFFS Apnl 24, 1945. H. K. DE wEl-:RTH

MACHINE FOR COOKING, DEHYDRATING AND/OR COLING FOODSTUFFS Filed Dec. 3, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 24, 1945 n h 2,374,587 n t MACHINE FOR COOKING, DEHYDRATING,

AND/on. COOLING FOoDsTUFFs 1 Harmannus Karel de Weerth, `Buenos Aires,

, Argentina i Application December 3, 1943, Serial No. 512,726 l 7l claims. rc1. 99-2465 i "This invention relates to improvements in machinesfor cooking,`dehydrating and cooling materials, and particularly to machines for cooking, dehydrating and cooling foodstuffs and the like.

"My co-pending application Serial No. 458,888, filed September 18, 1942, discloses a machine for this purpose which comprises acylindrical chamberhaving therein a rotary drum with perforated walls, so combined that the capacity of themachine will'be determined by the space between the wall of said chamber andthe perforated wall of the drum. i

Said drum is equipped with heating means and also with means for receiving currents of air and other uids, whereby it may be combined so as to obtain the cooking, dehydrationand even the refrigerationor thermal conditioning during the process, by means of a double wall provided as a complement to the mainchamber. In this machine, however, directdraft is Drovidedy and it is therefore practicallyimpossible to control the work during the different stages thereof, whereby the treatment of the material must `be carried out by controllingthe speed. This renders it dicult to obtain a continuous process'. h h

The ideal thing in this type ofmachine would no doubt be the combination of means capable of establishing and maintainingsuitably controlled heated and refrigerated atmospheres of any order of temperature,` and this isachieved with the'improvements subject of the present invention which, due to the special features and advantages thereof, rendersl themachine particularlywell adapted for treating'ioodstuifs in a large scale. The improvements of the present invention in volve the substitutionof the direct draft by a distribution which apart from passing through thewalls of the chamber is provided with traps Vand valve means capable of trappingcertain elef ments and enabling the` regulation ofthe outlet, in such a manner as to maintain the atmosphere with a slight or high superpressuradepending on working `conditions and requirements. For this purpose, the outer walls of the drum are perforated in such a manner that the steam or fluid used for heating, cooling or dehydrating the product is directed in a divided lmanner to wards, lateral chambers from Where it will rise to the? outlet collector.` after passing by a plurality of traps and control elements.

`Apart from the above, the present invention contemplates other objects, amongst which may bementioned the provision of means whereby it is possible to `work with any charge in the drum, without the necessity of retarding or controlling the speed of the drum, since'the passage ofthe operating fluids takes place through aplurality of perforations provided in the Walls of the chamber." i i x i i A further object of the invention is toV provide a simple and practical control which will en-` a'ble the machine to workwith any mass ofmaterial, thus rendering possible the use of the machine for treating different substances.`

A furtheriobject of the invention is to provide means for cooking meatand other foodstuffs in a uniform mannerand to the degree necessary for the preparation of preserved Iproducts not re, `quiringtincans orglass jars.' l

A still further object of the invention is to `provide means whereby little or no agitation will i be necessary during the treatment, due to the tion of the air or fluid;

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the course of the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsr illustrating the invention by way of example andin a preferred I embodiment, and wherein: i i

` Fig. 1 isa general view of the machine partially broken away so as to disclose the interior thereof i i Fig. 2 is a cross sectionalview of the` same machine, showing the arrangement ofthe fluid outlet. t

'I'he same reference characters are used to indicate like" or corresponding parts or elements throughout both drawings.I

`As may be seen from the drawings, a is `a fixed chamber having a cylindrical bottom closed by side-walls I and crown plate 2, ias shown" in Fig. 2. y

Ihe inlet of said chamber dis constituted by a hopper 3, locatedon the upper portion thereof, while the 'outlet is constituted by a discharge said drum.

drum. Towards one end of said drum b there is provided an annular gear I which meshes with a pinion Il deriving from a suitable transmission serving to rotate the drum;

As stated above, drum b is hollow and` a pipe I2 leads into same, said pi-pe serving to feed steam or air which is distributedby means of tubes I3, suitably perforated so that the fluid will project through the perforations in cylinder 'constitutingthebody of thedrum. Y

Theopen ends I4 of drum by are connectedto conduits I5y and I6 constituting ,a branch from capable of causinga-current -of` air by projection or suction, as the case may be. The

. connection of 1 they ends: I4;,of drum by with said conduits 'I5 landV I6 `are telescopic and without frictioninfo'rdento `allow the free rotationof Collectors I3 and ;I9v derive from thebottom offchamber; a and from thelowerportion'of conduitsl5 .and I6, said collec-tors leading into a tank. c having a double wall e for heating purposes. vAs lshown in Fig. 1, two pipes 20 and 2| located at different levels lead into said tank c,

the opposite ends of said pipes being-coupled to the-inlet of a pump 22 lso as toconvey the juices` again into chamber a'through pipe 23 connected to the outlet of pump 22 and terminating in a shower 24, as describedin the abovementionedco-pending application;

vInsteadgof having a direct'draft at the upper portion; thereof, chamber a is closed by said crown plate 2 andas clearly shown in Fig. 2,

the` -walls I of `'chamber a areA provided) with multiple` perforations constituting multiple passages frorn said chamber to lateral auxiliary chambers 25. Theupper portion of `each auxiliary-chamber 25,is p-rovided with an outlet having a, filter 26,- and by means of said outlet the auxiliary chambersq25 communicate` with-a hood 21, the outlet 28'of-which'leading to chimney 29 is controlled by'a shutter 30 mounted on` ashaft 3| i and controlled-by ineansof a crank .32. Asshown, saidoutlet28, instead of deriving from the crownplate 33 of said lchamber,I starts at: an intermediate-zoned the` cavity of, vsaid `chamber,.the `crown y.platesv being-provided with partitions 34 so as to form a track which will intercept. any particles of-Mmeat or other product `whichmight becarried upwardly by the draft to chimney 29. jV

4 Said laterall auxiliary chambers 25 are provided with -doors-35 for cleaning and `draining purposes,` while hood v2'! is provided with inspection door 36. j ,A .comb .31 is fixedto ,they sidewalls of chambernso ras to remove the meat Orotherproduct nected. to a pipe 38by means-of which airorany other suitablej fluid may-bejfed for the purpose of cooling .or lotherwise treating4 thematerial,

apart from the fluid which may be supplied by pump AI'I as stated above. l Conduits I5' and I6 are each provided with a valve 39, 40, respectively, which serve -for regulating the action of pump Il, and in case the latter pump is omitted, valves 39 and 40 may be closed so as to operate with only the fluid supplied through pipe 38.

Operation As disclosed in my abovementioned co-,pending application, the meat or other product .to be treated is fed through hopper 3, as indicated by `the arrow in Fig. 1.

By means of the corresponding motor (not shown) transmitting its action to gear through pinion II, the dr-um b is rotated in the corresponding `direction so that the helicoid 6 of said drum will act as a conveyor to admitthe product which will ll the space between cylinder 5 and side-walls I of chamber a.= In

these circumstances, the `outlet 4 should bekept closed by means of cover or door 4I.

Once the space between the drum .U andl walls I of chamber a has been fully charged, in certain instances the action of drumA is changed so that instead of rotating in a: single direction, the d rumv will` be given analternate motion with a semi-rotation in both directions, so that the helicoid Band ns 'ly will suitably stir the mass of the product contained in the chamber. be continuous the comb 3'! yoperating soasrto separate `the substances which might adhere to the cylinder 5;

Under these conditions, ifthe product to be cooked, steam is supplied through 4pipefIZ so that by, means of the perforated -tube I3 said steam will pass through the perforations provided in cylinder 5 and through the mass of material, thus cooking same.

The juices released from the productfwill from the bottom of chamber a and. lower `por; tions of conduits I5and I6,to collectorsiand I9, and collected in tank c. If necessary, said juices may be returned to the product through l theaction of `pump 22, -pipe 23 .and:showert24.

,Inasmuch as the chamber walls I are perforated and constitute lthe only outlet of: 'chamber a, the usedr vapours or fluidsl will pass through said perforations` into auXiliarycham-bers 1:25, and since said auxiliary chambers have no .free outlet, said vapours are accumulated in apressureatmosphere which is communicated to said chamber a., whereby the heating is rendered ref# fective and suiiicient cooking for the ,condition-f ing of the `product is obtained in -a .relatively short period `of time.- v

This accumulation in the auxiliary`= chambers 25 is due to theresistance offered by-the filters arrangedin the outlets of said auxiliarychamber, apart from the partial closurel which lmay be obtained by means of the shutter 30 controle' In' other instances, the action may,Y

heat is cut off, and if the product requires drylng or dehydrating, the fan or pump I 'I is started" so as to establish a passage of air between the mass of the `product and then through the perforations in sidewalls Lthe used air then passing to auxiliary chambers 25,`t hrough filters 26, hood 21 and chimney 29 through outlet 28, according to the position of shutter-valve 30.

On the other hand, if operating by ejection, the action of pump H is reversed, so that the suction will originate a vacuum zone in conduits` I and i6, thereby causing a depression in the central portion of drum b whereby the air is compelled to pass thereinto. i i If the treated product is to be canned or packed immediately after leaving the machine, refrigeration is applied so that while dehydrating, the product will be cooled to the required temperature.

This cooling action should preferably` take place 'withthe mechanical co-operation of the I alternative or` constant motion of drum b, so as to speed up the process.

2. Apparatus according to `claim 1e, wherein said auxiliary lateral chamber constitutes the only outlet from said elongated chamberthr'ough said plurality of perforations, said auxiliary chambers being provided with filter-grids constituting a resistance and throttle towards the `exhaust passage.

3. `Apparatus "for cooking, ldehydrating and cooling foodstuffs and other industrial products,

comprising an elongated chamber, an inlet at one end of said chamber and'anoutlet at the opposite end thereof, a hollow cylindrical rotatable drum having perforated walls located within said elon- During the cooling stage, instead `of using a chimney as an outlet, the used air or vapours should leave direct from hood 2l through valve 43 provided in outlet 42.` e e, Finally, by opening the door 4I androtating the drum b, the latter will act as a conveyor in displacing the product towards outletl, through `which it is discharged `for disposal.

summarizing, the invention `combines the `chamber in which the drumrotates, with an arrangement wherein the chamber walls are` per- `:Iorated so as to provide multiple passages communicating with auxiliary chambers and establishing therein a superpressure atmosphere through the resistance `offered by lters 26 and a suitable control of shutter-valve 30, thereby u enabling the control of the cooking of the prod- It is evident that in carrying out3the` invention, many changeswill occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as clearly set forth in the appended claims.

l. Apparatus for cooking, dehydrating and cooling foodstuffs and other industrial products, comprising an elongated chamber', s an inlet at one end of said chamber' and an outlet at the` opposite end thereof, a hollow rotatable cylindrii cal drum having perforated walls located within said elongated chamber,` a spiral iin provided eX- teriorly of said drum for advancing said products from `said inlet towards said outlet, means communicating with the drum for receiving i heating, dehydrating and cooling uids, and

gated chamber, a spiral fin provided exteriorly of said drum for advancing said lproducts from said inlet towards said outlet, means communicating` with the drum for receiving heating,` dev side-walls, auxiliary lateral chambers communi-` cating with said elongated lchamber through a plurality of perforations in saidyside-walls, said auxiliary chambers communicating with a hood located between said auxiliary chambers and a chimney, the communication between said auxiliary chambers and said hood being throttled` and provided with filter grids, the outlet of said hood Ibeing so arranged that the topof said hood is provided with partitions constituting traps for intercepting solidpartcles.` i

i `Ll. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the passage from said hood to said `chimney is provided with a valve shutter having hand operated register and controlmeans.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said hood is provided with an additional direct outlet controlled by valve means.

6. Apparatus forv cooking, dehydrating and i cooling foodstuffs and other industrial products,

ly of said drum for advancing said products from` posite end thereof, a hollow cylindrical rotatable i drum having perforated walls located within said elongated chamber; aspiral fin provided exteriorsaid Vinlet towards said outlet, means communieating with the drum for receiving, heating, dehydrating and cooling fluids, and means arranged in the chamber exteriorly of the drum for exhausting said iiuids, the last-,mentioned means having an imperforate top wall and perforated"` side-walls, a comb member mounted in said chamber and arranged at the outer surface of said drum, auxiliarylateral chambers communichimney, the communication between said auxiliary chambers and said hood being throttled and provided with filter grids, the outlet of lsaid hood being so arranged that the top of said hood is provided with partitionsconstituting'traps for intercepting solid particles,` the passage between said hoodand said chimney being provided with a valve shutter, said hood being provided with an additional direct outlet controlled by valve means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said auxiliary chambers and saidhood are provided with inspection and cleaningdoors.

HARMANNUS KAREL DE WEERTH. 

